The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-03-29
AN APPEAL To LINCOLN.
After an Interview with Secretary Stan
ton-A Boy Sent Home.

After an Interview with Secretary Stan
ton-A Boy Sent Home.
Mr.. Lincoln was often appealed to, as
a sort of appellate court, to override the
rigorous judgments of his cabinet Off
GERS. I remember a case in point which
brought ioy to the heart of Connecticut
mother. Her son, who was perhaps
little wild, had one day, returning from
school. been. trapped by some New York
bounty agents, paid $500, enlisted In
New York regiment and hurried Oft to
the front without his parents knowledge.
His mother was almost distracted. His
father. then as now one of the first c1t1-
zens of Connecticut, had interviewed III
vain to get his release. A delegation
of prominent citizens of his town came to
Washington and appealed to the secretary
of war, but were met with gruf refus-
al. Dixon and l were then solicited to
use our good Offices with Gfr. Stanton.
We reluctantly consented, knowing that
when the great war secretary once locked
his jaws the case was generally hopeless.
We visited the war Office with somewhat
the feelings of men who were about to
beard a lion In his den. We found him,
as was his custom, standing bolt upright
at the corner of his desk, with head
like a huge cannon ball, short massive
neck, square built frame and iron gray
beard flowing down over his bOsom-a
man of iron-with eyes blazing full of
energy, viii and determination. He
heard my appeal with ill-concealed impa-
tience and snorted out an instant and alb
solute refusal: HE had heard the case
before and had decided it. The boy had
taken his money and enlisted. If he
jhould discharge ali the minors whose
mothers wanted them home he would
soon not have a man to handle
musket.
We were glad to get out of the lions
len without being bitten. Leaving the
war office, we went to the White House,
Lincoln heard the case with sympathetic
interest. No meritorious appeal was
ever made to that great, tender heart in
vain. He at once wrote on one of the
inevitable envelopes: Let young --,
of Connecticut, a minor, enlisted by
fraud in the - New York regiment,
be discharged A. Lincoln"
We took this, not without an air of
triumph, back to Stanton to have the
necessary order issued. He glared at it
LUZ Gil HlSJdI1t, CIt1iL plCu IL LII Ills uSC,
threw it on the floor and growled
through his set teeth, Il won't do it. "
L said: ''Shall we report that to the pres
ident as your reply, Mr.. Secretary"
Eyes, . said he, bristling like a grand
old Numidian lion, land you may add
that 1 viii resign my portfolio before l
will set such precedent. -
We returned to the president and re-
ported the scene and the words YER
batim.
Ibid he say that after reading my or
der?" asked the president.
Yes L replied, expecting an ex-
plosion.
''Well, - said he, 81 guess he would
do it. We must find some other way to
get this boy home to his mother" and,
taking piece of paper, he wrote: ''To
rhe commanding officer at -: Dis
charge young --, of Connecticut, now
in the - New York, and send him to
Washington. A. Lincoln.
In week the boy was in his mothers
arms at Bridgeport. Brande-
gee in New York Tribune